‘The viewers feel duped’: Former Ellen producer slates host and claims ‘viewers fired her’ for ‘projecting nice persona’

A former producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show has slated the host for ‘duping’ viewers by pretending to be a nice person.

It was confirmed yesterday that Ellen is ending her talk show after 19 seasons, with the 63-year-old saying that it is ‘just not a challenge anymore’.

The news follows allegations of toxicity in the workplace, resulting in the dismissal of key executives and an internal investigation into the culture on set.

Hedda Muskat, who was hired as a producer in its debut season back in 2003, appeared on Australian news programme Sunrise to discuss the end of Ellen, and did not hold back in her condemnation of the show and its host.

She said: ‘The viewers have spoken. Her ratings have been in the toilet for a long, long time now. Her show has not been fun, it has not been interesting, and she’s not really, by the way, stepping down – the viewers fired her.’

When asked whether she believed the allegations that Ellen isn’t as nice as she comes across on television were the reason for the show’s demise, Hedda continued: ‘I think the viewers are disappointed in the phoniness that she’s been projecting as this nice person. I feel the viewers feel duped in a way, that she’s not this nice person, and they’re not gonna put up with the backstage racism and bullying that goes on. I think the viewers have woken up, finally.’

Hedda explained that she joined Ellen in its first season to book human interest guests and claimed that while the host ‘showed no interest with the news breaking stories’, she ‘loved kissing a** with all the celebrities’.

Hedda was the recipient of two Daytime Emmys for outstanding talk show for her work with Ellen, but said she was ‘almost relieved when I got fired’ as she claimed she had to ‘walk on eggshells’ with Ellen.

Sunrise hosts Nat Barr and David Koch looked pretty taken aback by Hedda’s comments about Ellen, as she went on to say that the star related better to animals than humans, and told her that she was being ‘pretty scathing’.

Ellen addressed her announcement on Tuesday’s edition of her show, saying: ‘You may wonder why I’ve decided to end after 19 seasons. The truth is, I always trust my instincts.

‘My instinct told me it’s time. As a comedian, I’ve always understood the importance of… timing. In all seriousness, I truly have felt like next season was the right time to end this amazing chapter.’

She will discuss her decision in further detail on Thursday’s show in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Ellen will end in spring 2022 with its 19th season.

In the wake of the announcement, some of Ellen’s more awkward interviews began trending, including her iconically cringeworthy chat with Dakota Johnson in 2019.

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